Mughal Rally: Participants roll into Srinagar despite unrest

Undettered by the spurt in militant related-violence in Kashmir valley over the last three days, about 130 champion rallyists from all parts of the country are rolling into Srinagar for The 4th J&K Bank Mughal Rally.

It’s time to speed on The Mughal Road – the historic track used by Emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan to traverse Kashmir to go to Lahore. The fourth edition of the Mughal Rally is India’s first hill climb motorsport battle, and will be held over June 28 and 29.

The Mughal Rally has 28 teams in Rally Xtreme (4X4), nine riders in Xtreme (Motorcycles), and 32 teams in Rally Enduro. Rally Xtreme is all about speed, while Rally Enduro follows the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) format. The scrutiny of all vehicles will be held on June 27, in compliance with the stringent motorsport regulations of Federation Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of India (FMSCI).

Amanpreet Ahluwalia, second at Raid De Himalaya 2012 and first in the SJOBA Sub-Himalayan Rally 2013, said he has been preparing his vehicle for the rally for the last three months. “What I want now is to rally, drive fast and safe, and get the winner’s trophy,” says Ahluwalia, part of Team Terrain Tigers, the Delhi-based motorsport club.

Team Terrain Tigers is coming with six teams in Rally Xtreme, and one in Rally Enduro. Each team comprises a driver and a navigator. Sanjeev Singh, the Co-Founder of TTT, says all the rallyists are reaching Srinagar by June 26. “This is going to be India’s first hill climb motorsport event. Our team members are gung-ho about testing their driving and navigational skills,” said Singh.

The other top rallyists converging at Srinagar for the event include Amittrajit Ghosh, winner of The Mughal Rally 2012; Suresh Rana of Team Maruti; Satish Gopalkrishnan of Bangalore; Jagmeet Gill of Chandigarh and Mohit Verma, the champion biker.

Rana is eight-time winner of the formidable Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya, and has won the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm thrice.

Gopalkrishnan is the TSD champion rallyist from Bangalore who has ranked at the top in motorsport events across the country. Jagmeet Gill is a TSD champion too. Biker Mohit Verma topped the Xtreme (Moto) category in The Mughal Rally 2012 and the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm 2013.

The Mughal Rally has four women teams this year in the TSD category. Sampada Rangrekar, a housewife from Mumbai who has been a regular at the most exacting motorsport events of the country, is driving to Srinagar via Rajasthan for the rally. She is participating in the rally with her son.

J&K Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir said it was exciting to see rallyists from diverse parts of the country competing for the winner’s trophy at The 4th J&K Bank Mughal Rally. “The Mughal Rally has emerged as one of the top events on the Indian motorsport calendar. We are looking forward to see who will be the winner in India’s first hill climb battle,” Mir said.

The Mughal Rally is organized by Himalayan Motorsport, the premier Shimla-based motorsport club which also organizes the iconic Raid De Himalaya. President Himalayan Motorsport Vijay Parmar said rallying is a sport of individuals dealing with the ultimate possibility of adventure.

“We came to Kashmir with the Raid in 2008. Now, we are in the fourth edition of The Mughal Rally. The security forces and the state administration have an unblemished record of ensuring complete safety for the event. We are looking forward to a great rally this year too,” he said.

The hill climb race will be held across two of the highest peaks in the country – Pir Ki Gali and Sinthan Pass. Pir Ki Gali is the highest point on The Mughal Road, at an elevation of 11,500 feet (3,505 meters) approximately.

Sinthan Pass, at an altitude of 12,450 feet (3,748 meters), is on National Highway 1B, connecting Kishtwar and Anantnag. Even during the height of summer, the hill climb up to Sinthan Pass is lined with walls of snow. It is open from April to September.